Mental Health Survey in Primary Care

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Mental health survey in primary careA questionnaire survey was conducted for depression in primary care. Subjects were 302 patients who visited primary care clinics during three days. A questionnaire consisted of Inventory to Diagnose Depression (IDD) and Dartmouth COOP Functional Health Assessment Charts. In 275 patients who responded satisfactorily, prevalence of major depression was 6 % according to Diagnostic and Satistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third edition revised (DSM-III-R), and 13% for both major and minor depression. During 6-month follow-up, 54 % of patients with major depression recovered from the state. In the international comparison study, prevalence of major depression was 13 % in USA and 3 % in Israel. These suggests that mental health care in primary care should receive more attention among not only family physicians but also psychiatrists.A cohort study was carried out in order to determine whether Expressed Emotion (EE) of families was related to the course of schizophrenia. Subjects were 52 schizophrenic patients diagnosed according to the DSM-III-R.Families' EE was evaluated through Camberwell Family Interview by a certified rater. Nine-month relapse risk of patients who lived in high EE households was 58 %, significantly larger than in low EE households. The finding was true when controlling confounding factors, such as psychiatric symptoms in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), drug compliance, and duration of the illness. In the two-year follow-up study, the finding was also observed. EE study is promising in developing community care for the mentally ill in Japan.A effective family psychosocial intervention for schizophrenia is required.